Chinese grammar - Prepositions with 在 (zài) |
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We saw in a previous topic that the prepositional verb 在 (zài) can be used to denote existence at a location. It can further be used with basic prepositions to more precisely specify location relative to an object. So when 在 is used without a preposition it means 'at', but with 里 for example, it more precisely means 'to be located in', 'to be located inside' or 'to be located within'. Recall that 在 behaves as a verb so it appears between the subject and object nouns. However, as we saw previously, the preposition should come after the noun it refers to. So the pattern is: [subject] + 在 + [location] + [preposition]. |
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狗在床下。
gǒu zài chuáng xià. The dog is under the bed.
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他在房间里。
tā zài fángjiān lǐ. He is inside the room.
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杯子在桌子上。
bēizi zài zhuōzi shàng. The cup is on the table.
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鞋子在床下。
xiézi zài chuáng xià. The shoes are under the bed.
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书在书架上。
shū zài shūjià shàng. The book is on the bookshelf. |
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男孩在操场里。
nánhái zài cāocháng lǐ. The boy is in the playground.
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女孩在公园里。
nǚhái zài gōngyuán lǐ. The girl is in the park.
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孩子在树下。
háizi zài shù xia. The children are under the tree.
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船在桥下。
chuán zài qiáo xia. The boat is under the bridge.
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So literally: dog is located bed under
